Christina Koch brings memories of the Moon to Raleigh
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Christina Koch, astronaut from the Artemis II crew, in April. Photo: Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images
Nearly five months ago, a spaceship carrying four people thundered past the Moon and farther into space than humans had ever traveled.
Why it matters: Everyone aboard earned their spot in the history books, including NASA astronaut Christina Koch, who spent her youth in North Carolina's public schools and her college years at N.C. State.
Driving the news: And on Monday, Koch came back to Raleigh for an official homecoming trip.
Zoom in: Koch gets starry-eyed when asked about the Moon itself — which she was several times on Monday.
- "We felt like we were just called to explore," she says. "It called you when you looked at it … We wanted to stay out there forever."
- When the nine-day Moon mission ended, Koch says her biggest fear "was that I would forget it all so quickly."
- "So I spent that first week journaling about the mission without looking at any photos… I knew that one day the photos might define my memories," she continues.
Our thought bubble: When Koch speaks, it is with the clarity and ease of having figured out what makes a day feel meaningful.
- She chooses to explore the outdoors and to puzzle over problems and to challenge her body, but also to show up for family and friends and colleagues. All of it, together, is what fulfills her.
- She has left Earth and returned. Twice. It is moving to simply be in her presence.
Flashback: Before becoming part of the Wolfpack, Koch grew up in Jacksonville and graduated from the elite North Carolina School of Science & Math in Durham.
- "The biggest thing I felt when I came to Science & Math was intimidated," she recalls. "But what I found was that I met some of my best friends there, and that we got through life together."
- Koch laughs when asked about her college years. "I was very, very busy." She filled her days and nights with schoolwork and extracurriculars, and she also took photos for the student newspaper and worked at a Blockbuster and a K-Mart.
- Both schools, she says, "allowed a lot of self-driven and explorative learning, which is so important."
The big picture: Monday was also the first day of public school for children in the Triangle. That coincidence was highlighted at the welcome ceremony at N.C. State, when the school revealed it was naming an engineering building Koch Hall in the homegrown astronaut's honor.
- "Extraordinary achievements do not happen overnight," Gov. Josh Stein said, adding that's "why a commitment to cultivating the next generation of engineers, scientists, explorers, and dreamers is so important."
What they're saying: N.C. State has "been a launchpad for generations of students and for careers in virtually every field that matters to our state and to our country," Board of Trustees Chair Ed Stack III said.
- "And every once in a while, a talented and determined student from Onslow County comes to N.C. State and goes on to expand the horizons of human knowledge. We should all be proud of that," Stack added.
What's next: Koch, who has lots of family members living in North Carolina, will be back plenty. She's recently decided to restore the family sailboat sitting in her dad's backyard.
- Meanwhile, NASA's Artemis program continues, with a lunar landing planned in 2028.